I’ve lived my life like a local, getting into the cities I’ve lived, and really getting to know the area. What are my best options for gluten free? What are the greatest things for Grandparents to do with their grands? Where to take your friends when they visit. This is all important stuff that you can get down over time when living in a place for years. But how do you do it when you are on the road?
Two years ago, my wife and I retired and bought a diesel pusher motor home, where we could travel and live for weeks or months in one location and live like a local. Bingo! That is when I realized just how important local guides are to the world. Everywhere we went we relied on local reviews to point us in the right directions. Quickly we learned where the best farmers market was. Or the best outdoor coffee shop to hang. And since I’m visual I knew photos of my discoveries would not only cement them in my mind, but would help the readers of my reviews. Writing reviews of our travel destinations truly helps embed us in these communities
.
I also learned along the way that solid reviews are a boon to local businesses. Savvy business owners crave reviews and use them as an opportunity to not just thank their customers, but also to talk up an aspect of the business that is important to them. So I try hard to Inform my audience about the venue
and hope that the owner takes the opportunity to respond. In the end it’s win-win-win for all.
